The students were practicing moving through heavy snow as mountain survival training, public broadcaster NHK said

Receive the latest national-international updates in your inbox

Firefighters carry a survivor they rescued from the site of an avalanche in Nasu town, Tochigi prefecture on March 27, 2017. Eight high school students were feared dead on March 27 after being engulfed by an avalanche while on a mountain-climbing outing with dozens of others, officials said.

Eight Japanese high school students were feared dead after being caught in an avalanche Monday while being trained in mountain climbing at a ski resort, authorities and media said.

The avalanche occurred in the town of Nasu in Tochigi prefecture, about 190 kilometers (120 miles) north of Tokyo. Forty other people were injured, including two who were in serious condition, the prefecture said.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said eight people were found with no vital signs, though they had not been formally confirmed dead by medical personnel.

Japanese media said they were students who were participating in a three-day training program for members of mountaineering clubs from seven schools in the area.